Why Do Dogs Sleep So Much?

Today is 'Why Does My Dog Do That? Wednesday' and today we are answering the question of why dogs sleep so much.

There's no doubt about it: dogs sure know how to sleep. The amount of time spent napping varies from dog to dog and depends on the dog's age and personality. Counting little naps and longer snoozes, most dogs sleep about fourteen hours a day. Nobody is sure why dogs sleep so much. The amount of sleep that an animal needs depends upon its species. Horses and cows may sleep only three or four hours daily, because they require long hours of grazing to supply their bodies with sufficient food. Bats and opossums may sleep closer to 20 hours.

The various breeds of dogs also seem to have different sleep requirements. Some very large breeds of dogs, like Newfoundlands, Saint Bernards, and mastiffs, often spend a great deal of their lives sleeping – perhaps up to sixteen or even eighteen hours a day, while smaller dogs don't need as much.

A dog living as a pet in the home is likely to sleep more than a dog that works for a living, like a search and rescue dog or a dog working on a farm. Dogs are lucky – they are able to adjust their sleep pattern so that they can be awake when there is something to do, and asleep the rest of the time.

Of course, today's modern indoor dog sometimes sleeps out of boredom. You can help your pet by providing plenty of stimulation during the day – this can be in the form of toys, a companion, or plenty of walks and playtime with you. If he has enough to do during the day, he may stay awake when the sun is up and sleep at night when you do. The weather can also change a dog's sleep. Pets will tend to sleep more on cloudy days than sunny ones, and snuggle up more on cold days than warm ones.

I think the amount of time dogs sleep is what adds to the saying 'It's a dog's life". Wouldn't it be nice to nap through most of the day?

All this talk about napping and sleeping has me yawning big time and wanting to take a snooze. Maybe I will go find the girls and we can take a little nap.

Oh, look. They already ARE napping.

Life's rough, girls. Life's rough.